The Milliband of Brothers

The Milliband of Brothers-Equality Gets a ‘name check’-But Some Are More Equal Than Others.

For those of us who love politics, the saga of the Milliband of Brothers and their tussle for power, -as though it were a much loved Action Man with one eye and a parachute that doesn’t open, has had just the right balance of petulance, drama, intrigue and pathos to have us salivating over our cornflakes. It has not however been enough to set the country alight in the way that politics should.

I remember, being the political nerd that I am, sitting in front of more party conference speeches than I care to remember. Whilst Ed’s effort yesterday was not the best-, not even his best,- his blatant steal of Jack Kennedy’s ‘Let The Word Go Forth’ had all the hallmarks of the speech writing cabal of a youthful Blair- it was heartfelt and personal and nailed his colours to the mast. If one doesn’t like his colours, red or not…fair enough….don’t vote for him.

I am reminded of McCartney’s acid comment that Ringo wasn’t the best drummer in the world, that he wasn’t even the best drummer in The Beatles. Underlying that apparent barb was a real affection and recognition that Ringo was, if not the best man, he was the right man….and he was there.

Ed Milliband is sitting right now on the drum stool of the rather ragged middle of the road rock ‘n’ roll band that is the 21st Century Labour Party. Several classic albums behind them, one lead singer lost to drugs, another to musical differences, a guitar player who thinks he should have the only spotlight and a bass player that no one has heard of. They are reforming for one last stab at the charts, and agonising over whether to take a new direction…’Trance’ …maybe ‘Death Metal’ or ‘Alt Country’ It always was a broad church.

He may not be the best leader, but he may well be the right leader for the Labour Party at this point in its political journey. He has struck the right balance of leftward sashay, ‘mea culpa’, new generation optimism and ruthlessness to give us a sense of anticipation.. After three days in the job, it’s not a bad record. As someone once sang in the dim and distant past…’things can only get better’.

Or can they? There is the thorny issue of Jacob and Esau to deal with. It shouldn’t matter but it does. Milliband Junior did not steal his elder brother’s birthright, nor has it been sold to the Trade Unions for a mess of pottage. But there is a lingering sense that fraternal tension is going to loom over the formation of the younger Milliband’s shadow cabinet, like a bad smell in an elevator. It should not matter whether David takes a job at the UN, or runs off to Harvard to give the benefit of his accumulated Blair Witch years to eager policy wonks destined for the State Department…..but it does. It should be of no consequence if Milliband Major deigns to serve in any post of his own choosing, in a UK shadow cabinet, a slim consolation for having been ‘pipped’ at the post.

Even Shadow Chancellor, despite the enticing possibility of ‘pissing off’ Ed Balls yet again, would be the political equivalent of an ice cream, proffered to the quaver-lipped schoolboy who has fluffed his Grade 8 cello on the day his kid brother has blown away the assembled Bluecoats with a resounding rendition of Purcell with one hand tied behind his back. A classic case of what my mother would have called , ‘losing a shilling and finding a tanner’. Small consolation indeed.

It should not matter but it does. There is nothing dynastic about the Millibands, as there was with the Kennedys. Perhaps it was age..With Joe the beloved and anointed elder son taken by the war, as a hero no less, on clandestine European flying missions, the next in line, predestined almost, Jack stepped up to the plate. His younger brother Bobby served with distinction as Attorney General and 'consigliere' to Camelot at the very centre of the kitchen cabinet, only to himself be anointed when tragedy struck yet again.

Why no such sibling ‘hand in glove’, lockstep, stiff upper lip politics between Millibands Major and Minor? Perhaps it is an issue of age, or rather chronology. A sense of ‘jumping the queue’. There is nothing more guaranteed to start a fight amongst the British than a queue jumper. Maybe it is the ruthlessness with which Ed exploited David’s Cabinet role in support of the Iraq war, the genesis and taint of which, he had the good fortune to avoid Let us see how the drama unfolds.

I must confess to having been agnostic about the Brothers Milliband previously. I admire a political brain. I appreciate a compassionate voice, especially when it calls for greater equality. I appreciate the vigour of youth, especially when it is sufficiently devoid of hubris to seek the counsel of grey hairs and cross party wisdom.

What is undeniable is the chutzpah that has been displayed by Ed Milliband ,in not only surviving the renaissance court environment that is a post defeat Labour Party in transition, but in floating to the top. How much was floating and how much was swimming? We will have to wait and see. For now I will keep my powder dry.

So What, Who Cares, Says Who? Well the future of UK plc lies in a delicate balance. It is dependent now upon a vigorous, intellectually rigorous, visionary and courageous opposition led with passion and compassion, to provide a contrapuntal note to the coalition at every turn. We should all watch and learn from the unfolding soap opera which is the Milliband of Brothers.

Mike Waldron
Inter-pares
September 29th 2010